Crashworthiness of helicopter subfloor structural components

Abstract

The present investigation is oriented towards the design of an energy absorbing aluminium subfloor for a new Agusta helicopter. To identify the detailed design and the structural concepts for the most efficient mechanism of energy absorption, the typical subfloor components have to be investigated. Design aspects focus in more detail on the subfloor structural intersections, because, under vertical crash loads, they can create high deceleration peak loads at the cabin floor level and cause dangerous inputs to the seat/occupant system. The crash behaviour and energy absorption capability of the subfloor structural intersections are investigated by experimental drop tests and finite element analyses. Presents the correlation between crash data and numerical results.

Citation

Bisagni, C. (1999), "Crashworthiness of helicopter subfloor structural components", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 71 No. 1, pp. 6-11. https://doi.org/10.1108/00022669910252088